Oma with a View 01-12-11 5am 18°

Again the severe weather watch was for not.  We had NO wind and only a skiff of snow, I should be relieved, elated, ecstatic??  It makes me think back to the olden days (1950's) when we awoke in the night to the wind howling through the trees, banging the windows and the snow drifted to great heights.  Oh, for the winters of my childhood, the winters in Lake Fork Idaho where I grew up.  Be careful what you wish for, my mind is saying and I know that is true.  Oh, I do love a good blizzard, but only when I'm safe and warm inside and in the innocence of youth.

Okay back to the present,  Yesterday, off and on for two hours, Herb and I watched the antics of a fox in the field behind our house.  He, evidently making a game out of looking for a meal.  He ran, jumped, sniffed and cavorted across the field, with the grace of a ballerina.  I could hear the music as he did pirouettes over the snow, jumping, then pouncing, looking right and left, then jumping again, twirling, then starting all over.  We have no idea if dinner appeared for him, but we certainly enjoyed the show.

I talked earlier in this blog about the "Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Races".  In last nights Observer was a photo of Rusty's friend Bino Fowler & sled dog team, from Bend OR.  They are the first place winners in the 100 mile course as well as winning for the 3rd time the Best Kept Team Award.  We met and visited with Bino and Mary last year.  It didn't take long to see and feel how much they love their dogs and that winning is secondary to the health of their animals.  Congratulations again to Bino and team.

I should mention that Rusty is in China on another job for LTW.  This job has been a trial.  It started in Oct (I think) and should have been finished shortly after Christmas.  They have had delays plus extremely cold weather conditions to work in.  Russ says they can't put on enough clothes to stay warm, so work, always cold, in a building that acts as a wind tunnel.  But the end is in sight.  He hopes to be home in Bend by the middle of February, after a vacation to Viet Nam or Thailand, where the weather is warm.

Well I must get on with other things, still on my list from yesterday, and some new ones that have been added.  Until tomorrow, owav :)